Deeper Secrets from the Darker Past
After Therese and Gordon's death, I was running away from their home, crying....crying..... I shook my head and scowled at a framed blueprint. Stupid Apollo. Then, I saw a house. Tired, I lay down at its porch and slept. After hours, I woke up to a smiling man, tall and fit, in front of me, sitting on a couch. "How do you feel, little one?" He said kindly. I groaned, and the man frowned and stood up, towering over me. "I said how do you feel?" He asked with a growl. I flinched and stayed silent. "You will answer me when I ask a question, brat!" He roared, picking up a wooden club and hit me in the head. I screamed. The man only laughed. '' I shuddered and tried to focus at a complex math problem in a book. "''I let you sleep, yes." He boomed, and I shouted for help. He slapped me and gagged me, tied my hands and feet, then carried me to the basement. '' ''"Ha ha! Do you think I will shelter you, stupid?" He crowed. "You only brought me something to do! Do you know why I live here out of town? I am the most brutal man you have ever known! I torture, I abuse! It is my life!" '' ''I shouted, but my voice was muffled. I broke into an unheard sob, nearly cursing the gods for my bad luck. '' ''The man threw me into a dim room with a small window and empty bottles lining a wall. He left me there, bruised and tired, a helpless kid, in the dark and locked the basement door. '' ''But I slept....I only slept. Only waking up at the long creak of the opening door when the man brought his whip and punishing me for half an hour. He never feed me. He only watched me perish and laughed maniacally. '' ''After a week, I had enough. Sweat trickling with blood, I managed to put my knife in my hands, and for the hours after the man abused me, I sawed off the ropes. It was sunset when I ripped off my gag and unlocked the door. '' ''The man was dozing. I ran like the wind to the front door, threw it open and sprinted outside. I sighed with relief, then collapsed in pain. After a few minutes of heavy breathing, I stood and began walking. '' "Hey Charlina." Lawrence grinned at me. I looked at him scornfully. "I told you not to use my real name!" I exclaimed and punched him. "Just leave me alone!" A couple of my siblings looked at me in shock. Lawrence was spread-eagled on the floor, moaning, a purplish yellow bruise on his left cheek. I was not in guilt. I stomped outside near the forest. ''I slept on a bed of leaves and did not wake up for three days. Then I saw a horrible sight as soon as I opened my eyes. A cannibal giant was beside a giant bonfire, sharpening a stick and humming under his breath. Behind him was a yawning cave decorated with badly-damaged license plates, nailed with wooden stakes. My blood turned cold at the sight of a particular plate bearing the familiar number TG29S. It was the license plate of Therese and Gordon. I gasped, and the giant stopped his doing and grinned at me wickedly. "Dinner!" He cried stupidly, pointing at the moon. '' ''"You!" I spat. "You killed Therese and Gordon!" "Eh?" The giant said, once again picking up his stick. I was so mad I charged him. But he plucked me up from the ground. With his free hand, he pointed at the moon again and said giddily, "Dinner!" Now I understood, he wants to have me for dinner. '' ''I yelled curses at him and kicked the wind. "Let me off, you smelly freak! You killed the only ones in my life! I hate you! Let me off so I can finish you off you overgrown pile of camel poop!" But the giant only laughed. He dropped me into the cavern and rolled a boulder to block the entrance. I groaned. Captive. Again. I hate my life. '' I sobbed for a minute, then bit my lip to keep myself intact. Then the frightening visions flashed in my mind again. ''I yelled at the giant to let me out. I prepared my knife just in case he comes. After three hours (I dully counted) a rumbling sound sliced the the peaceful humming in my brain. "Dinner!" The giant said again. '' ''I scowled and yelled a cuss word to him. He roared at me and picked me up again and laid me down beside the bonfire. A very big cauldron was set up in the midst of the licking flames. The stick was in pieces, he must have gotten bored of it. '' ''"You go there!" He ordered with a slight barklike chuckle. "I eat you!" "Like that will ever happen you freak of nature!" I shouted. '' "Stop it!!" I yelled at the sun. "Just stop!!" The rays of the sun seemed to become more harsher and brighter. "Please, Apollo!" I screamed. "I didn't do anything!! Leave my past alone in the past, not here!!" I said, and without hesitating ran into the forest to hide myself. ''The giant picked me up, and I stabbed him....I bit him.....anything to escape. It has no effect. '' "Stop!" I yelled mournfully. "What did I do?! Please.... just stop....." Weeping, I threw myself in the ground and fainted. ''The giant had placed me in the cauldron, with numerous herbs. I felt heat fry me to a shrivel, heat lapping up my soul away from my body.....heat that is slowly killing me..... I tried to stay alive, I tried to force myself to stay brave. "Please save me." I silently pleaded. My eyes were watering, and all I could see is red. '' ''Then a loud screech filled the evening air. A larger-than-life eagle with golden feathers and a polished silver beak soared down and with its bronze-like claws toppled the cauldron off the flames. I uttered a weak cry of relief and stumbled out. '' ''"No!!" The giant roared, and shook his fist. "I don't have dinner yet!" He chased the bird away, and I gasped for breath and felt my skin. My clothes were tattered, and there was a large burn on my right knee. My skin was red, but the night was cold, and I immediately felt better. '' ''When I slept in the damp cave of the giant, I had the most terrible dream. '' ''I was standing in a wide corridor with prison cells and I heard a dry rustle like sandpaper. Then a clanking of chains. "I won't...." A man's voice said. There was a crack and a groan of pain. "Now, would you tell me where she is?" A woman's hiss spoke. I shivered and walked cautiously towards the conversation. ''"No....of course not.... You can imprison me for years and I would never tell you. You can torture me....It's kind of relaxing.....and if I die, you will never find her. Is that what you want you?" A soft chuckle. '' ''I approached, finally, the occupied prison cell. A man with brown hair and closed eyes were kneeling before a weird woman: half snake and half human who was holding a barbed-wire whip. The man was smiling, drops of blood flowing on his pale cheeks. His clothes were tattered, and a briefcase lay open in a dirty bed, with papers spread out. His leather shoes were caked with mud. '' ''"She will die...." The snake woman hissed evilly. "No." The image began to fade as the man opened his eyes. He smiled even wider. "She's a child of an Olympian god..... She is safe.... of course, beyond the border which you cannot reach." '' My eyes opened. I was in the infirmary. "Charlie!" Annabeth said joyfully. "Oh, am I glad to see you safe!" "How did I get here?" I asked, blinking at the sunlight filtering through a window. Annabeth rubbed a bead in her necklace. "Well, I found Lawrence wounded in our cabin. He mumbled something about you troubled and running away to the forest. He thinks you're crazy or simply wanted to have suicide-" "I'll give him another bruise in the cheek." I cut off. Annabeth smiled and continued. "Well, a couple of demigods ran and found you have fainted. Seriously, what are you thinking-" I gave her a please-shut-up look. "Okay...okay....I think I'm sick." I did my best to look weary. "I've been seeing some disturbing things." "Like Percy?" Annabeth frowned. "It's normal for demigods. I see disturbing things too....sometimes." "Is it lunch?" "Nah, we've just finished." Annabeth answered. "Oh. Where's Lawrence?" "He feels better after Chiron treated his wound. He's continuing his activities." Annabeth explained. "Can I get some rest please? I think I'm still sick." Annabeth laughed. "There's CTF after thirty minutes." "Wake me up after twenty then." I replied. Annabeth shrugged and nodded, then exited the room. Category:Storm Legends